During development, the projection from the lateral geniculate nucleus
to striate cortex becomes segregated into monocular regions called ocular
dominance columns. Prior studies in cats have suggested that experimental
strabismus or alternating monocular occlusion increases the width and
segregation of columns. In the squirrel monkey, strabismus has been
reported to induce the formation of ocular dominance columns. However,
these studies are difficult to interpret because no animal can serve as
its own control and the degree of inter-individual variability among
normal subjects is considerable. We have re-examined the effect of
strabismus on ocular dominance columns in a large group of strabismic and
normal squirrel monkeys. Five animals rendered strabismic at age one week
had well-developed, widely spaced columns. Among 16 control animals, a
wide spectrum of column morphology was encountered. Some control animals
lacked ocular dominance columns, whereas others had columns similar to
those observed in strabismic animals. Natural variation in column
expression in normal squirrel monkeys, and potential uncontrolled genetic
influences, made it impossible to determine if strabismus affects ocular
dominance columns. It was evident however, that strabismus does not affect
the binocular projection from the lateral geniculate nucleus to each CO
patch in the upper layers. In strabismic monkeys, just as in normal
animals, each patch received input from geniculate afferents serving both
the left eye and the right eye. In addition, in strabismic monkeys, as in
normal animals, patches were not aligned with ocular dominance
columns.

Hendrickson, A.E.,
Wilson, J.R., &
Ogren, M.P.
(1978).
The neuroanatomical organization of pathways between the dorsal
lateral geniculate nucleus and visual cortex in Old World and New World
primates.
Journal of Comparative Neurology182,
123–136.

Horton, J.C.
(1984).
Cytochrome oxidase patches: A new cytoarchitectonic feature of
monkey visual cortex.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B
Biological Sciences304,
199–253.

Rowe, M.H.,
Benevento, L.A., &
Rezak, M.
(1978).
Some observations on the patterns of segregated geniculate inputs to
the visual cortex in new world primates: an autoradiographic study.
Brain Research159,
371–378.